It is well-known that a granular material spreader may be used to distribute fertilizer and other granular materials over grass-covered areas, such as golf courses, sporting fields and public parks. In spite of several advancements in this field, several mechanical problems remain.
A bin sweep, which moves the material in the upper portion of a storage cone downwardly, is a well-known improvement. Unfortunately, such bin sweeps are prone to failure, which can result in down time and repair expense. One of the most serious problems results when a rock, an over-sized granule or a fused mass of particles becomes lodged between the bin sweep and the inside surface of the cone. When the bin sweep is unable to advance, it may break.
Many of the materials distributed in this manner, such as fertilizer, seed, gravel, salt and lime also tend to be difficult to spread in an even and uniform manner. Areas of greater or lesser coverage tend to result, which can result in less than optimum growth performance by the grass.
The size of the golf courses and sporting fields which are tended encourages the development of granular spreaders which are able to distribute material over a wider range. Unfortunately, known spreaders tend to perform less uniformly the greater the range of the spreader. Therefore, where the granular material is widely thrown, it is also unevenly thrown.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for granular spreader that is adapted with a protective mechanism which prevents damage when the bin sweep becomes jammed. The granular spreader must distribute material in a very even and homogeneous manner, and must provide structures which result in the ability to distribute material over a wider range than is possible with existing granular material spreaders.